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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. roll — a cake
  3. band — a ring
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. band — a music group
  6. hand — help
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. roll — a list
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. hand — in cards
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. sharp — clever
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wax — to grow
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com